Ferndale Public Library

Great place to take kids. They kid section has a lot of books and interactive games. The adult side is also great full of many options. It is vert pretty inside as well.

I love being able to go online, put something on hold on the library website’s mass catalog of collective stuff, get an email, and then go pick it up. They also have a unique batch of new release books, as well as great indie music and film. Great place for what some would think obsolete. Yes, libraries are still around for a reason and we should still be utilitzing them!

Thank goodness for the Ferndale Public Library. I came here regularly to rent movies and get books when we first moved to Michigan and I knew not a soul. I felt like the library folks at the desk were my first friends.
They were still in their temporary space up East 9 Mile, waiting for their building to be renovated. And in my mind the wait was worth it. I really like the new building (or newly renovated old building).
There is a good selection of movies and music. There is a really great kids space in the back with lots of kids stuff and books for toddlers through young adult.
The selection of books at the library itself is not huge — I was disappointed that the science fiction section was missing some of the more standard texts… and when I donated most of my own collection, was disappointed that they were not put on the shelves, but sold through the Friends of the Library store.
Ferndale Library is a part of the Online Library and Michigan E Library so if there is a book you are looking for, it is probably somewhere in the system. Anytime I get a book recommendation, I check whether or not it is the system and promptly order it. Wait a couple of days, and I can pick it up at my local library. That to me is the best best part of this.
I love going there to work — there is wifi, lots of space, comfy chairs and meeting rooms. The temperature is always perfect, no matter what it is like outside. The staff is always lovely to interact with and now that I have a kid who is reading, they are great with her too although she can’t get a library card until she is 5.
We go often, and are thrilled it is here.
My only critique is that it is not open on Sundays. Especially during the winter when it is so hard to occupy a kid (and this adult).

One of my favorite libraries. They are always friendly, efficient and knowledgeable.

Similar to another poster on this site, when I moved into my new community, I went and got a library card. I was pleasantly surprised when I went into the Ferndale Public Library. Nice opened areas, good wifi, and library staff that, for the most part, are friendly and amicable.
Why not five stars you ask? (1) Around 3:00PM Monday through Friday, a very loud, disruptive, vulgar group of junior high/​high school kids come into the library. I can hear them in the back part of the library, or for that matter, throughout the library. I remembered when a brave mother went up to the students, imploring them to keep the noise down, asking «where are your school books? Why aren’t you studying? Your behavior is going to ruin it for everybody.» I approached her afterwards and commended her on her comments. Did the offenders get the message? No. They kept up their disturbing behavior. While the library staff more than once approached them regarding the behavior, these kids just make this location their two-​three hour gathering spot doing absolutely nothing productive. Hopefully the library can correct this. (2) Loud and rude conversations, i.e., cellphones, speaking to each other inside the library, etc. I thought libraries were suppose to be QUIET places for reading, studying, i.e., learning communities. On more than one occasion I have requested that people lower their voices. This is particularly true when I have headphones on and I can still hear them. Again the library staff does its best to monitor this behavior, but recently it seems to be getting worse. Hopefully people will become more considerate and realize that libraries are QUIET places.

I confess myself to be a bibliophile, and a spoiled one at that, thanks to a history of very good relationships with outstanding hometown bibliotheques. I knew Ferndale possessed many other good qualities when I moved here, but I was abandoning a beloved community institution in the Chicago burbs and worried about my aching book heart. Would FPL mend my the wounds?
So far, I must say I am pleased with the city’s library. A charming, modern building on Nine Mile across from my favourite haunts — Torino Espresso Bar, Go! Comedy, and the WAB — has all the charm of a small-​city/​town institution with the amenities I came to expect. Its renovation does wonders to create a bright, airy environment filled with many books. Computers are spread out and more plug-​ins than you can shake a stick at invite you to bring along your laptop or tablet to get some work done. The free wi-​fi satisfies my research urges while writing in a corner, and access is easier said than done.
FPL gets props for having a wide open community room facing Nine Mile. Dividers can easily make one room into two or more, and the tables on wheels are infinitely configurable. Events hosted by the community can benefit from copious staff support and technological wing-​dings which matter: projections, mobile chairs, and easy access.
Kids have their own niche and a reading room invites an oasis from the usual hush down to an extra insulated whisper. The foyer is isolated from the rest of the library by swishing doors so conversations can be conducted without interrupting other patrons, a welcome reality in a cold winter climate and an increasingly connected world.
Staff here are hardworking, amiable, and exactly what I want in a library: there when I need them. They have provided help on a few occasions, and their outreach for community events is always prompt. I’ve had no reason to complain.
My only frustration comes from the paid parking if I’m going to be longer than 15 minutes, thus unable to use the free spots. I understand the revenue improves the city and prevents people from using up the limited spaces in their lot whole visiting the downtown core. On the plus side, their parking meters now accept barcode scan payment so you can avoid carrying around $ 25 in quarters.
FPL’s only areas for improvement are pretty open, and probably symptomatic of me coming from much larger systems. I would like to see them offer more ebooks on loan for those of us with Kindle or Nook e-​readers. Many libraries have started offering ebook readers on weekly loan, and that would be a heck of a plus. I find their website difficult to navigate for basic information, like how to apply for a library card, compared to other library sites. I’m not as fond of the interface for the catalog, but I understand that’s what many of the SE MI network uses. Being closed on a Sunday, one day when I can consistently get in, is also a pain in the butt but a reality for library funding.
All in all, what a lovely asset to the community.

One the first things I did upon moving to Ferndale was to obtain a library card. How could I not? Convenient location? Check. Roomy renovated digs with nice seating, free wifi and access to computers? Check. Friendly and knowledgable staff? Check. Easy to peruse website? Check! Part of the SE Michigan library network? Check! Whittling down my reading list has never been easier. *rubs hands together*
Finding a place to park is usually not a problem, thanks to their free 15 minute parking spaces. Extremely handy, especially if you’re the beneficiary of good timing. :)
What really sets this library apart from others, however, is the First Stop Fridays series: a local band showcase on the first Friday of every month from 7−9pm. A lot of musical talent sways within Ferndale’s fronds, and I dig hearing bands in unusual places.
As alternative performance spaces go, the library a very strong contender. The spacious, high ceiling-​ed room is surprisingly intimate and gives good sound. Chairs can be set up, but nooks and crannies can also be found if peeps (ahem: me) want to make themselves comfy on the floor instead.
What a treasured community resource. I hope it continues to thrive.

This place has been my salvation.
First off the re-​design is fantastic. Well planned out with conference rooms and a front lobby with tables and chairs. A perfect place to do some surfing on the free wi-​fi and hold a business call without disturbing patrons in the main reading section.
I have to admit that I mainly rent dvd’s and cd’s here, since I get my reading quota met at school… but during my breaks I have rented some fun books here. Being a starving student it allows me to have some great free entertainment since all my $$ goes to basics. As I mentioned there is free wifi and plenty of community computers. The new space is open and clean and well lit. There is a quiet room for those who are sensitive to their personal reading time. And a lot of comfy chairs to sit in. The staff is top notch and are always friendly. I have held many conversations with them and they all seem super cool.
As a plus they also offer two free 15 minute parking space if you just need to run in for a quick return/​checkout. They are across the street from a nice coffee bar as well, which always makes the trip nice.
I recommend it for anyone.

The Ferndale Library just got a facelift– and it’s great! The new library has an atrium and community gathering room in the front — tons of public access computers — meeting and study rooms — quiet reading/​studying areas (one with a fireplace even) –comfy chairs to curl up with a book — wireless throughout — and a new and improved children’s area. The new building is «green» too!
This library isn’t large enough to have everything you might be looking for — but they are part of the Library Collective where you can get books from other local libraries shipped to the Ferndale library (This works pretty quickly, I can tell you from experience).
I was excited to get my new library card, and have been putting the online system to order books/CD’s from other places to work lately ;) I’m looking forward to the various community events that they have planned. Well done Ferndale! The new library is a place to be proud of. :)